First of all, a hearty welcome to Not David Husband, the first blog dedicated to SA punditry. As an outgoing Senator I would like to think I can provide an outsider's prespective. As the name implies I am not David Husband (the title plays off of the "Not Larry Sabato" blog and pays affectionate homage to the first SA pundit) - I am Alex Kyrios, former member and chairman of the Elections Commission, outgoing Senator from the Class of 2009. That's all I feel like saying by way of introduction.
Looking Forward to 2009
It's never too early to think about next year's general election, even this year's was just yesterday. All the more appropriate since this year's contest offered little to satisfy the taste of true political junkies. Popular incumbents just trounced two relatively unknown transfer students. Yawn. (Some of the lower races were more interesting, but more on that later.) So why not tune your ears to the muted hummings of ambition and start to ponder whose smiling faces you may see staring at you from the top of the ballot when you log onto SIN next year.
Class of 2010
Next year's junior class will be a ripe picking ground for SA presidential and vice presidential candidates. There are quite a few young men and women who would have already given it a shot this year if the incumbents hadn't decided to go for reelection. So without further ado, in alphabetical order, here are Not David Husband's first-second predictions:
- Ryan Eickel: Some newer students may not even be aware that the SA presidency was once a Delta Phi dynasty, and not so long ago. Ryan Scofield '07 closed it out, as D-Phi didn't run anyone last year, though Brad Potter '08 and Brett Phillips '08 looked to seek that inheritance for Beta. Don't think for a second that Eickel's fraternity isn't thinking of this as well. Ryan, for his part, just barely got reelected for next year, after a commanding second place to put him in the Senate last year, and an extremely close second place for the first 2010 presidential contest in Fall 2006. The infamous class-wide email to 2010 that went out yesterday lambasting Eickel along with fellow incumbents Sarah Rojas and Orlando Watson may have diminished his aura, but a source reports that Eickel saw the email as a "wake-up call." He also seems to be stirring from inactivity in the Senate, having brought up the idea of national newspapers in dorms at the last meeting. Watch him well - D-Phi may yet provide us with a second Ryan.
- Ross Gillingham: Absurd as the idea of an AEPi dynasty for the SA presidency is, it's also plausible (assuming you accept the Hopkins-Pilchen concept of the "co-presidency). Ross shocked SA onlookers by finishing a clear first place in yesterday's Senate election, garnering damn near two thirds of all votes cast. Prognosticators were placing him anywhere between 3rd or 5th - perhaps the 2010 email helped push him above even Sarah Rojas, who had been the strongest Senate candidate the SA has seen since Matt Beato. Ross is far and away the least ambitious on this list, but if he wakes up and/or gets the right team around him, he may set his sights appropriately high. Don't underestimate the fact that Ross is a genuinely likeable guy - think Zach Pilchen or Valerie Hopkins but with less ego. Are these words premature for someone just elected to the Senate? I don't know. Ask Barack Obama.
- Sarah Rojas & Ali Snell: I'll discuss these two together because there's a lot of overlap here. A highly credible source tells NDH that Ali and Rojas have openly discussed the idea of a joint campaign, though they are unsure who would go in which slot. (For our part, NDH thinks Snell-Rojas is the no-brainer, given Snell's executive experience and Rojas's understanding of the Senate.) If Ross is the Obama analogue here, Ali and Rojas together are the Hillary. Until recently such a ticket sounded positively unbeatable - inevitable, even. Yesterday may have been the first chink in that armor. While Rojas is humble enough to have a healthy skepticism going into elections, her first two Senate wins were commanding. But for her third run, she didn't put up any fliers and only used a facebook event instead of a group - clearly not in high-gear as far as campaigning goes. It shouldn't be too surprising that the driven, enthusiatic Ross was able to beat her. Until yesterday, both Ali and Rojas had finished first in all of their elections. Ali has been class president from the get-go and won an intense race that first time around, but she hasn't faced a challenger yet. If these two are to take the SA's top jobs, they'll need to make sure they give the campaign their all. No more free rides.
Of course, SA presidents and vice presidents don't always come from elected office; witness Valerie herself. Needless to say such candidates are difficult to predict, but don't think NDH won't try. Further suggestions from those who know the class better than I are welcome as well. Orlando Watson would have been in the above list had I written this two days ago. Then, in the wake of low marks on the Flat Hat's report card and the 2010 email, he became the only Senator this cycle to fail a reelection bid. The fact that he did no campaigning makes it seem unlikely he would be part of a successful ticket. But don't write him off yet, especially if Valerie finds a place for him in her cabinet.
Roxanne Lepore, the outgoing Vice President for Advocacy, stepped out - she did not step down. She's going to study abroad and may not yet have written off the idea. From early on last year, Zach Pilchen envisioned Rox and Rojas succeeding him and Valerie, but if Rojas is talking with Snell these days, that dream may be past.
Last but not least, Steven Nelson is just crazy enough to try. I'll be the first to say that he won't be happy with how much he can get done against the WMPD in the Senate, and he may begin to look higher.
Well then. I had every intention of continuing on to the Class of 2011, but I think I've written enough for now. I'll give you kiddos something to look forward to for the next post - needless to say, coming when I feel like it. Feel free to leave me some feedback in the comments, or send hate mail directly to ackyri@wm.edu. Thanks for reading the first post of Not David Husband - catch you cats later.
-KY
